Annunciator system for buildings



(No Model.)

J. M. ARTHUR.

7 ANNUNGIATOR SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS. No. 563,724.

Patented July 14, 18961 in I- -1 I In: ll: 1 lll h IIJJ WITNESSES INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE,

.lOIIN M. ARTHUR, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ANNUNCIATOR SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,724, dated July 14, 1896. Application filed April 1, 1896. Serial No. 585,6 86. (No model.)

T all who??? it y 6071/6677? face-plate set in the door-frame, and Z] a recess Be it known that I, JOHN M. ARTHUR, a citiback of it. zen of the United States, residing at Detroit, a is the bolt of the lock adapted to be open county of Vayne, State of Michigan, have inated by a key. 5 5 vented acertain new and useful Improvement Z) is a vibrating lever pivoted to a metal in Annunciator Systems for Buildings; and backing b in the recess 1). I declare the following to be a full, clear, and b is a spring acting on the lower end of the exact description of the invention, such as lever Z), by which it is made to resist the acwill enable others skilled in the art to which tion of'the bolt a. 6:: 1.0 it pertains to make and use the same, refer- G is a curved arm extending inward from ence being had to the accompanying drawthe face-plate. This arm is formed of altering, which forms a part of this specification. nating sections of conducting and non-con- My invention relates to an electrical signal ducting material, the three port-ions of consystem for indicating at a central station, ducting material beingletteredccc ,respec- 65 such as an annunciator, whether each door tively.

in a building is locked or unlocked. D D represent the several cells of the bat One purpose of my invention is to provide tery used for operating the annunciator E, means whereby a person entering the halland D 1) those used to operate the bell D way of an oiilce-building can determine from D is the relay by which the intermittent 7o an indicator whether the party he desires to current is supplied to the bell.

see is in or out of his office. The annunciator consists of the two spools I am aware that a system has been so arc 6, each attached to the plate e, the armaranged that the occupant of an office can ture e mounted on the vertical shaft 6*, the push a button in the office and operate an index a and the rod 6, by means of which 2 5 indicator elsewhere to indicate that he is in, the index 6 is caused to vibrate from one and push another button to set the indicator position to another as the armature rocks the to signal that he is out. Many office-buildshaft c. ings have been fitted with the device just The operation of my device is as follows: mentioned, but the arrangement has been hen the door is locked, the several parts 3o unsatisfactory, because neglect on the part of take the position shown in the drawings, with the occupant to operate the device would the end of the lever 12 resting on insulating cause it to be misleading. In my system the material at the outer extremity of the arm C, an nunciator is operated automatically when and the index pointing to the word Locked the occupant of an oi'hce looks or unlocks the on the annunciator. hen the bolt to is 35 door. The moment he enters the office the withdrawn on unlocking the door, the lever annunciator indicatesthat he is in, and the travels over the curved arm 0, coming first moment that he leaves and locks the door it in contact with the conducting material 0 indicates that he is out. thereby closing the circuit from the battery Another advantage in the system is that D D, through the wire d, the back plate b", 40 the watchman can always determine if all the lever b, the wire d, and around the spool oiliices in the building are locked. The same 6 to the battery. This still leaves the index device can be used. for dwelling-houses to inpointing to the word Locked, as shown in dicate whether doors or windows are locked the drawing. The lever 1) next comes in conor unlocked; also in jails or prisons to inditact with the conducting material 0 on the 45 cate when the doors of the cells are locked or arm 0, by which the current is caused to take unlocked. the wire d and pass around the spool 6, re-

My invention is shown in the accompanying versing the armature and thereby moving the drawing, represcntin g a diagrammatic view index, so as to point to the word Unlocked. of a door-l.ock, battery, annunciator, bell, and The lever then rests in contact with the con- I00 50 wiring. ducting material 0 with a current through In the drawing, A is the door-lock, B the the switch F and the hell, if the pin f be in place in the switch, or with an open circuit if the pin be removed.

when the door is locked, the operation described is reversed, and the index caused to point to the word Locked.

The switch F is for use when it is desired to set the device so that it will sound the bell, as well as indicate when a door 'is unlocked.

The switch G is used to open and close the main circuit, either direct or through the bell, as desired. hen set on the pole g, it closes the main circuit direct. hen on the pole g, it closes the main circuit through the bell, and when on the pole g the current is open.

The function of the three contacts 0', c and c is to provide means whereby the annunciator can be operated through a succession of impulses by the magnets in the annunciator, to result in the movement of the indicator in opposite directions at the proper time, and at the same time to leave the circuit open at each extremity of the movement of the lever b to prevent exhausting the battery. I find that the arrangement of the three contact-points in the order shown is the preferable form for producing the result.

I am aware that devices have been used adapted to indicate when a door or window is opened for the purpose of sounding an alarm, but I am not aware that a device has ever been used to indicate either condition. whether locked or unlocked.

In an annunciator system for buildings, an electrically-operated annunciator adapted to display alternately the words Locked and Unlocked, or words of like significance or for like purpose, Wires connecting the arm unciator with means in connection with each door for opening and closing the circuit through the annunciator, said means operated by the lock of the door whereby the annunciator is so operated as to indicate the word Locked when the bolt of the door is forced out, and Unlocked when the bolt is withdrawn, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN M. ARTHUR. Witnesses:

C. 1-1. FISK, S. E. THOMAS. 

